


Winter Wishes

by ginnekomiko



Series: Tales from the Outrealms [5]
Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, EVERYONE is here - Freeform, F/F, F/M, M/M, have fun with my OCs
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-26
Updated: 2019-12-26
Packaged: 2021-02-26 11:00:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,043
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21968233
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ginnekomiko/pseuds/ginnekomiko
Summary: My interpretation of a winter festival at Garreg Mach Monastery starring my three MC sisters. Set pre-timeskip, with a couple early game antagonists dodging death because I said so.
Relationships: Edelgard von Hresvelg/My Unit | Byleth, Linhardt von Hevring/My Unit | Byleth, My Unit | Byleth/Claude von Riegan
Series: Tales from the Outrealms [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/421708
Kudos: 6





	Winter Wishes

Jeralt watched his youngest daughter run around the Garreg Mach Monastery with more vigor than usual.

“Daddy! Daddy! Do you think The Snow King will be able to find us again this year?” Her blue eyes were bright with anticipation. She even had festive red ribbons in her long blue hair.

“I think so.” Jeralt said, adjusting the too long sleeves of her academy uniform, and checking the length of her pigtails for her. “We’re in a very easy location to find this year. Do you have everything you need for class? Backpack? Lunch?”

“Yep and yep!”

“Looks good! Have a good day in class, Erina. Teach those nobles something worthwhile, okay?”

“Bye, Daddy!” she said with a smile and a wave. He could have sworn her shadow waved, too.

Jeralt laughed to himself. He still didn’t fully understand what Lady Rhea was thinking by letting his youngest, who was still a child, teach a house full of bluebloods.

*

“It’s important that we give back to our community when we can!” Erina instructed. “So, that’s my lesson plan for this week! Your assignment for today is to be kind and to be sure to make someone happy! This isn’t going to be graded, but anyone who doesn’t do it today won’t get a sticker!” She hopped down from the stepstool she used to reach the podium. “As an example, does anyone want to come with me to feed all the kitties and puppies around the monastery? I was also going to heal any injuries if they had them, for practicing my healing magic.”

“Oh! Me, me!” said Ashe.

“Also me!” Mercedes said.

Erina stuck little star stickers on them.

“I’ll go, too. I guess,” Felix said.

“You will Felix, really?” his professor asked.

“Well, yeah. All that animal food is sure to get heavy for you eventually, and someone should be on standby just in case that one big dog is feeling territorial when we pass by. Did you have a plan for him, Professor?”

Erina nodded. “I was going to run away really, _really_ fast if he started to chase me, or maybe climb a tree!”

“Uh-huh. He’s big enough that he could mistake you for a rabbit or a cat and eat you, Professor,” Felix said, autopiloting to picking her up and putting her on his shoulders. “When we get close to where he lives, you stay by me, okay?”

“I _told_ you, Sothis!” the little girl murmured. “Thanks, Felix. Oh, do I get a piggyback?”

“You’ve got other plans before the big choir performance, right? You’ll be no good at them if you come back lost and tired. I might as well use you as a training weight if I’m going to go with you.”

“Do you want a sticker?” she whispered in his ear.

Felix smirked a little, before letting her stick a star on his cheek like she had for Ashe and Mercedes.

The dog in question was very big and strong looking, but he was strangely placid today. Maybe he had gotten used to the little girl’s attempts to befriend him, or maybe it was the fact that Felix had a look of murder about him, and had verbally warned the dog, “don’t even _think_ about it.”

“Wow! That went better than I thought!” Erina said with the biggest smile on her face. “Thanks for coming Felix! I was only a little bit scared since you were here!”

“That’s good. What are you going to do now?” he asked, holding out his hand for her to grab.

She took it and walked beside him. “Next is cooking for the orphans that are supposed to come tonight!”

“So, you’ll be with Annette and Dedue, I’m guessing?”

“Uh-huh. You already did your good deed, so can go and train, if you want.”

“I’m passing you off to Dedue first. His highness would never forgive me if I let you get lost. We turn here to go to the dining hall, remember?”

“Oh! Right! I wish I could have seen his highness for a little longer before class got out…”

“Well, all the house leaders have their own things they need to do before the orphans come over.”

“I know. Besides, I’m sure I’ll see him later at the party!”

“Here you go,” Felix said, literally handing the small child to his housemate.

“Thank you for safely escorting her, Felix,” Dedue said. “Annette and I will take care of things from here.”

Cooking with Dedue and Annette was always fun! Each of them got a sticker.

“Professor, we have a guest,” Annette said somewhere between preparing the meat and the salad.

“Hi, Daddy!” Erina said.

“Have you had lunch yet?” Jeralt asked.

“Oh, no. Let’s all eat together!”

“Yes, let’s,” Annette said.

“Look, look! We made all this good and healthy foods, but my favorites to make were the COOKIES!”

“I see,” Jeralt said. "Did Dedue and Annette give you more cooking lessons?”

“Uh-huh! Don’t worry, they used all the big tools and did the oven parts. I just added ingredients and did a lot of mixing and sprinkling!”

“Everything is better with sprinkles,” Annette said. “Professor, Mercie and I will stay with you before the choir performance, so you don’t have to worry about getting lost before or after. We’ll come and get you so we can all get ready together, okay?”

“Okay! I have one more thing I need to check. Daddy, is he here yet?”

“He is. That’s the other reason why I came to get you. Your guest wants to see you.”

She was greeted by a redhaired man with a large scar across his face.

“Hi, Mr. Miklan! I’m so glad you could make it!”

“Hey, squirt. How are you?”

“Why are _you_ here?” Sylvain asked, nearly choking on the sandwich he had been eating.

“I was invited to help wrangle the orphans, and since that little squirt of a ‘professor’ of yours asked me so stink’n nicely with those big blue eyes of hers, I couldn’t just turn her down. As far as I’m concerned, I still owe her for that time with the relic.”

“Do our parents know you’re still…?” Sylvain asked.

“No. By all accounts, I’m dead. I’m officially a ghost, so there’s nothing to worry about.”

“Sylvain! I’m glad you’re here! There’s a mystery I want you to assist me with!” Erina said.

Sylvain grinned. He loved their detective duo games. “Oh? What kind of mystery, Detective?”

“Someone ate all of my cookies!”

*

“Ah, you’re the joy sprite this year, huh?” Azuki asked, sipping her coffee. Her younger sister was decked out in the usual fairy-like attire that the role called for. It was obvious she particularly enjoyed the wings. The reds of her outfit looked nice with her mauve hair and playful green eyes.

“I am going to spread _so_ much love and joy!” Faline said. “I’m gonna kiss my _whole_ house! Except for maybe Lorenz! He hasn’t decided if he wants to play yet, so...”

“Your whole house, huh? Did you check with everyone?”

“I did! They basically all want to play! Even Marianne said yes, but she doesn’t want to be chased around, so I’m going to smooch her first, so she can enjoy the rest of the evening however she wants. She said she wants a kiss on the cheek, so that’s what she’ll get! I know Raphael wants to run, so that should be a blast! Prey is always best when active!”

“Please don’t cause too much trouble, Fali.” Another sip. “Rini and I actually _like_ teaching here.”

Faline winked. “I’ll do my best, but no promises! I like it here, too, you know!"

*

Edelgard, was not usually one to fret, but this perfect gift business was eluding her, and it _had_ to be perfect! It just had to be!

“You could always get her coffee, Lady Edelgard,” Hubert said.

She scoffed a little. “Hubert, everyone in the Black Eagles knows how much our teacher loves her coffee, she’s probably going to have enough for a whole year! Even with her multiple cups a day!” she felt her cheeks flush. “I want to get her something… something that shows her that I…”

“You cannot give her your heart, my lady,” Hubert said frankly.

Still blushing, she was ready to retaliate. “Not _yet_ I can’t! Once I graduate and affirm my rightful place, and she’s no longer my teacher, no promises!”

Hubert gave a gentle sigh. “You really have your heart set on her, don’t you?”

“Hubert, I. Want. That. Woman. She’s so beautiful and strong and… when she smiles that soft smile at me, she makes my heart just flutter! Besides, you don’t get to judge me.”

“I don’t know what you mean.”

“Oh look, there’s Ferdinand!” Edelgard said.

“What?” Hubert asked, looking around. “What’s that fool doing _now_?”

Edelgard grinned.

*

At the stroke of five, the gaggle of local orphans had descended for dinner.

Linhardt had chosen to attend the party in a horrific looking sweater. Caspar wasn’t sure if that thing on the center was supposed to be a snow-folk or some abomination creeping to consume them all as it stalked through the trees.

“Did uhh, a certain someone make that for you or something?” he asked, already knowing the answer.

“Gar made it, yes. Every step of it from the shearing and spinning of the wool, to dying it and then knitting it. Sure, the design is… well, it’s bad. He missed whatever it was he was trying to go for, and it’s oversized like he was using himself as the model, but It’s soft, warm and not itchy at all. It’s like I’m wearing a big blanket. If anyone insults it within earshot, they’re getting magic’d in the face.”

It was still funny to think that noble, scholarly, sleepy, Linhardt had fallen so hard for the redheaded freckle-faced farm boy with a scholarship.

“They’re just jealous you got such a nice handmade gift from your boyfriend.”

Linhardt nodded. “Yes, they are. Did he make something for you?”

“He gave me these mittens! I think he was aiming to make them look like gauntlets, but uh, he missed again! They look more like rooster crests, but they’re also soft and warm, and it’s cool he thought of something like this for me. He’s a good guy.” Caspar paused. “Oh, hey there, Dorothea. Nice hat.”

She was positively beaming. “Gar made this for me! Isn’t the little sheep pom-pom on it cute?”

“The craftsmanship is much better here,” Caspar remarked. “He must have improved as he went down his gift list. That thing actually looks like a sheep.”

“Well, he does love sheep. Linhardt said with a yawn. “They’re his favorite animal. And I know he started on mine first, because he was terrible at hiding it from me when we were studying together a few months back.”

“Is that a…?” Dorothea asked with a grin.

Yep, their house leader got a small doll of their beloved teacher, tiny coffee cup and all, and she was elated.

Gar had one more present to hand out, but he almost didn’t want to give it.

“Here,” he said opening his palm to Ferdinand.

“What’s this?” Ferdinand asked.

Garthford looked uncharacteristically shy. “We might not always get along, I mean, I know you don’t exactly like me, but I can appreciate that you love horses just as much as I do.”

“It’s not that I don’t like you, Garthford, it’s just….” Ferdinand began, taking the tiny wooden horse figurine.

“Linhardt von Hevring could do so much better than me,” Gar finished. “I _know_ that, Ferdinand! Hell, I’m expecting that somewhere down the line, but right now, being in this school with him, that means somthin’ to me. So what if it’s just a school fling in a few years? It’s real to me right now. That’s the thing about growin’ up an orphan, nothing is guaranteed, so you gotta take the good while it’s there.”

Ferdinand looked around “These kids aren’t…”

“Yeah, they are. All these kids came from the same orphanage I was at before I enrolled here. That nice lady over there is Sister Rafina, she’s the closest thing to a mom I ever got.”

The lady he was pointing out had long, flowing white hair, a sweet, young-looking face and the biggest set of boobs he’d ever seen on another mammal! How did she even walk down a flight of stairs with those? She was talking to Seteth before the play, and they both seemed to be having a fun chat. Did they know each other?

The room darkened, and the play began.

“HEOHHO! It is I, the King of Snow!”

That was totally Seteth, but his frosted makeup and crystal inspired costuming were pretty neat! Professor Erina, Flayn, Cyril, and the kids from the orphanage seemed happy by the performance.

“Did Linhardt seriously fall asleep again?” Ferdinand asked after the curtain rose.

Gar smiled. “It’s fine. I’m used to it by now. I better move him before someone trips on his legs or the little ones decide to draw on his face!”

“It’s not proper!” Ferdinand protested. He grabbed at Linhardt. “Get up!”

“Nnn…Comfy….” Linhardt murmured.

“Yeah, yeah, I know yer comfy,” Gar said. “Come on, Lin. Let’s find you a better spot to sleep then here, ‘kay? Up you go!”

Ferdinand was always amazed at just how easily Garthford could lift Linhardt and then effortlessly carry the him around on his back like a mule. Rumor had it, that he had a crest on the back of one of his hands, but he always wore working gloves. This seemed unlikely, given his questionable lineage, but if that was true, then it was no wonder Linhardt wanted to keep the boy close by.

*

“May I present the Garreg Mach Monastery choir,” said Lady Rhea.

“Seteth are you going to take pictures, aren’t you?” Jeralt asked as all the singers took their places.

“Of course I am. Flayn is in the choir, too. Don’t worry, I’ll get some good shots of little Erina for you. She looks very adorable in Flayn’s old dress. I’m glad it fit her.”

Jeralt laughed warmly. “It’s still a little big on her, but it was very kind of your sister to give her something nice to wear to the party.”

*

“Aww, are you sleepy now, Professor?” Mercedes asked, gently rubbing the little girl’s back after they had finished their set of songs.

“Uh-huh. I wish I brought Roary with me so I could sneak away nap somewhere, like Linhardt always does, but I can’t find him, so I can’t get comfy. Though, you’re helping a lot.”

Roary was the Professor’s favorite stuffed animal. He was a lion made of blue-colored scraps of cloth. He had been a thank you gift from Ashe for saving his adopted father.

“You just might get your wish,” Mercedes said in a little sing-song voice.

“Huh?" Erina said as she sleepily glanced around.

“Ta-da! May your winters always be warm, Professor!” said Ashe, presenting the stuffed lion to her.

“It’s Raory! Oh! You made him a little winter hat!”

“Do you like it?” Ashe asked.

“I love it! He looks very handsome and now his ears won’t get cold!”

“I also did some little stitch ups here and there. You really love him a lot, don’t you?”

“Well, yeah! You made him just for me! So, of course I love him! He’s also very brave and eats my nightmares!”

“I’m glad he’s such a good friend for you. Come with me for a second, someone wants to say ‘hi’ to you.” She took his hand as he led her around, Roary flopping along beside her.

Erina recognized who Ashe meant immediately. “Oh! Hello, Lord Lonato!”

“Hello again, little one.”

“Are you… doing okay?”

The old man sighed. “Exile is… well, it’s better than death, I suppose. Ashe’s letters are always the brightest parts of my week. He’s doing well in his schooling, I hope?”

Erina nodded vigorously. “Uh-huh! He always studies really hard, and is a very good student, I promise!”

Ashe blushed. He left the two of them to chat while he got some food.

Erina gave a little shiver. Unlike the others, she stayed far away from the open bonfire, a centerpiece of the winter festival.

One of the students noticed this. “If you’re cold, why not move a little closer to the fire, Professor? I’ll take you over there.”

The little girl immediately stiffened and shook her head. “Nononono, that’s okay! I don’t mind being a little cold, really!”

“It’s fine, here, give me your hand.”

“Professor!” called Dimitri.

“Oh, yes, your highness?” Erina called back.

“I have a question for you. Come this way, please.”

She dashed over to him, as if eager for the excuse to get as far away as possible from the open fire.

Dimitri shot a glare at the other student as he took the little girl’s hand. The prince sat her down on a lounge and began to talk with her. Other students in her house sat down with her, notably Felix sat on her other side, as if to create a barrier. If one student got up to do something, another sat right down. She chatted with them for a long time.

“Erina, it’s sundown.” Jeralt announced.

“Aww! Can’t I stay up for just this one night?” she asked.

“You may not.” Jeralt said, crossing his arms.

“O-kay. I guess bedtime is absolute.” She made Roary’s paw wave. “Goodnight, everyone! This was really fun! May all of your winters be filled with warmth!”

“Goodnight, Professor!” they chorused. Every student of hers had a little star sticker on their face.

“Thanks for the reminder about the sun, Daddy,” she said once they were far enough away to be out of earshot. “And thanks for playing along with me so I didn’t look like a big sacredy cat about the dark. I love you! Mwah!”

“You’re welcome, sweetie.” Jeralt said, kissing her forehead. “I’ll stay with you until you fall asleep, okay? How does a few more chapters of the bedtime story sound? We just might be able to finish the book tonight.”

“Yes!”

“Do you know the whereabouts of your sisters? I thought I saw Azuki slip away earlier.”

“Yeah, Azu went to go grade her papers. I think Fali really has smooched her whole house, save for Lorenz and Claude. Lorenz is taking the stealth part of the game super seriously! And I think she’s saving Claude for last, ‘cause they like-like each other.”

Jeralt groaned. “I know they do. It’s not exactly a secret. I am expecting Seteth to tell me just how it will have played out tomorrow morning, but I’m not there to stop her, I’m putting my little one to bed. Besides, Faline is an adult now, and has control of her own actions.”

The crowd screamed, meaning Faline had finally kissed her last target.

“Do you think this big crowd overwhelmed Azu?” Erina asked.

Jeralt smiled. “Yes. I know my Azuki, she’ll surface again when things calm down.”

*

Edelgard entered Azuki’s office. Her beautiful teacher was sitting hunched over at her desk, grading papers. Those deep purple eyes of hers were completely focused on the task at hand.

“I thought I’d find you here,” Edelgard said gently.

Azuki brushed a few stray strands of her black hair back, seemingly only a little startled at her student’s presence. “It’s my own fault for putting them off. Besides, big parties like that get to me after a while. I only have so much emotional energy in me. Why are you here, Miss Edelgard? Anything I can help you with?”

“Oh no, just being social. Your father put one sister to bed, and the other used that opportunity to kiss a certain house leader on the lips in front of everyone, and complete her joy count. I slipped away in the chaos of him actually kissing her _back_ on the lips to come and see you. I saw you step away, so…”

Azuki smiled that soft smile at her. “That’ll make for some juicy gossip. She’ll love that. I’m sure they planned something like that in advance once she knew she was going to play the joy sprite. Great minds prank alike.”

“Has Miss Faline… always been like that?”

A nod. “We went to that forest in eastern Almyra to try investigate whatever strange spirit might be residing there. Apparently, the village had been tormented by it for months. Turns out, it was just a lonely, abandoned little girl with a knack for mischief, so yes, always. She’s gotten much better about channeling it. We don’t get run out of towns anymore, usually.”

“Is that…?”

The kissing plant. Miss Faline had been running around with some all evening. And earlier, Edelgard had overheard Linhardt saying something about “not needing a plant as an excuse to kiss his boyfriend,” before kissing said boyfriend.

Azuki smiled a more playful smile that melted Edelgard’s heart. “Hey, if Faline gets to kiss Claude because of this plant, and not get in trouble for it, I should be able to kiss the girl I like! Er, if she… wants me to kiss her, anyway.”

Edelgard leaned over the desk and kissed her on the lips, much to her teacher’s surprise. Her lips were soft, and she tasted like the coffee she had just sipped, with just a hint of cream and sugar. Huh. Everyone was sure their teacher took her coffee black.

“Oh gosh, you _do_!”

Edelgard wanted to keep this flustered Azuki in her heart for any and all emergency purposes. “Of course I do! I’ve wanted to do that since the day we met! I’m so happy I’ve gotten to know you this past year. Please, Lady Azuki, when we are no longer student and teacher… I would like to go on a date with you! On my arm! As my girlfriend!”

“Oh my…I-I don’t even know how old I am!”

Oh.

“Well, little Erina is eleven, correct? And Faline is seventeen, she hasn’t let anyone escape that fact all night. How old do you think you were when the two of them were adopted?”

“Faline was first, I want to say I wasn’t a little child when we found her, but I hadn’t hit puberty yet, so close to Rini’s age now.”

“So, you were ten or so and she was-?”

“Eight, we think. Faline has always had a pretty good sense of the passage of time. And Rini was _little_ when we found her a few years later. She was from a very small village close to Albinea. She couldn’t have been more than five when they tried to….” Azuki shuddered deeply. “Anyway, I had hit puberty by that point.”

Edelgard thought for a moment. “So, by that logic, you’re probably somewhere in your late teens to early twenties. You might be anywhere from a few months to a few years older than me. Oh. No. What a gap. Believe me when I say I’ve known much larger ones.”

“Yeah, I know, but… I mean…. I _think_ I’m twenty? Or I turned twenty this year? Time has always been weird for me.”

“If you feel twenty, then let’s go with that. I mean, we’re still both consenting adults. Besides, I don’t mind you being a little older. One more kiss, as my present to you, and my promise to keep my word. Goodnight, Lady Azuki.”

*

Azuki made her way to her father and Erina’s shared room. Right now, she wanted to be with her family. Much to her surprise, Faline was there, too.

“Not sleeping in the trees tonight, Fali?” she asked.

“Too cold for that, and Dad said Rini was lonely, so I figured I’d snuggle in here. Good night?”

“Yeah. You?”

“I filled up my house kiss sheet! Joy has been officially spread throughout Golden Deer! Hey! This side of Rini is spoken for, you get that one.”

“Fine,” Azuki muttered. “Night, Fali.”

“Night-night, Azu.”

Jeralt smiled. His three daughters, and one stuffed lion, had all snuggled up together for the night. His winter was very warm, indeed.


End file.
